A mobile station, also called a mobile communication device, mobile phone, mobile telephone, hand phone, wireless phone, cell phone, cellular phone, cellular telephone, mobile handset or cell telephone, is a long-range electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of base stations. The base stations are each typically called a cell site, a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), an eNode-B or a Node-B, and in cooperation provide for seamless communication for the mobile communication device over a large geographic area. A particular feature of mobile stations is the ability to establish communication via any one of a network base stations, and seamlessly hand-off from one base station to another. A network supporting such a mobile station is typically called a cellular network, since the various base stations of the network define cells in which their radio signal is dominant and have a pre-selected Location Area Identification (LAI), Location Area Code or Location Area Color (LAC), collectively denoted herein as an LAI. Additionally, data communication services have been added to the cellular network, thus providing a large range of features, in addition to voice communication, for the mobile station user. As a result of the above mentioned convenience, mobile stations have rapidly grown in use.
Historically, mobile stations have been associated with charges for phone usage, air time and messaging. However, the ubiquitous mobile station, having an associated means for user identification and charging expenses, presents an opportunity to utilize the mobile communication device as an electronic wallet. In particular, a mobile station may be used as a medium by which payments may be initiated, activated or confirmed.
There are several known methods for providing a product, and in particular, payment for products or services other than phone usage or airtime, by using a mobile station. In one system known to the prior art, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,309 issued Jun. 24, 2003 to Whigham, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, a consumer requests a product available from a vending machine by dialing a specified telephone number, typically via their mobile station, to a server. The server recognizes the request for the product, creates a transaction record including a billing record for billing the consumer, and communicates a vend code to the consumer's mobile station. The consumer then transmits the received vend code to the machine providing the product.
Unfortunately, such a system is inconvenient requiring a number of steps to perform a simple transaction. Additionally, when the vend code is received, there is no certainty that the consumer is standing by the vending machine and ready to receive the service, and the consumer may thus be charged for a product which he does not receive.
U.S. Patent Application Publication S/N 2008/0084272 A1, published Apr. 10, 2008 to Modiano, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, is addressed to a method for automatic electronic authorization for entry into a geographic area based on detection of a mobile station operable on a GSM network. Disadvantageously, in the event that a plurality of subscribers, each having a mobile station, request entry contemporaneously, no method is provided to distinguish between the subscribers. Thus, for example, the charge for entry of a vehicle carrying a plurality of subscribers may be improperly attributed.
Other methods of payment, for example, a method called Near Field Communication (NFC), requires a mobile station supporting an additional low power, short distance, communication protocol. In one embodiment, payment via NFC includes pre-loading a smart card installed in the mobile station, for example, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), with an amount of money, and the machine providing the product or service is provided with compatible hardware. Alternatively, credit card or debit card information may be loaded into the smart card. The money may be subtracted from the pre-loaded amount on the smart card or from the credit card account. This method, however, typically requires a special design or modification of the mobile station to include communication elements separate from the telecommunications elements required for mobile communications. Thus, the use of NFC is limited to mobile stations supporting this protocol, and is thus not applicable to 100% of the potential mobile station users.
What is desired is a method and system for payment using a mobile station without requiring additional hardware in the mobile station and without requiring additional steps by the consumer.